134 THE ASIATIC FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 



CONDITION OP THE COMMANDER ISLANDS ROOKERIES. 

 PEBLIMINART EEMAEKS. 



When, in 1882, Prof. S. F. Baird sent me to the Commander Islands to study 

 their natural history he also impressed upon me the desirability of obtaining some 

 information in regard to the fur seal and the sealing industry of the Islands. Owing 

 to my hurried departure— I had only 48 hours in which to prepare for the expedition 

 destined to stay two years in the field— I failed to take a photographic outfit with me. 

 In default of photographs, however, I made numerous sketches of the rookeries, and 

 also undertook to construct maps of them by means 'of an azimuth compass and a 

 pediometer. I submit some of the sketches with this report in exact facsimile of the 

 originals; they have not been touched up in any manner (pis. 20, 41, 42, 43). For 

 that reason they appear extremely crude, but it is thought that they will be accepted 

 with more confidence ia their present shape and carry with them more conviction 

 than if they had been fixed up or "improved" in any way. 



The only photographs of the rookeries in their palmy days were taken by the 

 Russian Colonel Yoloshinof, but with only a few exceptions they are not intended to 

 portray the totality of seal life on the individual rookies, and for that reason offer but 

 scant material for comparison with my sketches of 1882-83, or my photographs of 

 1895, the more so since the points of view in all instances except one are different 

 from mine. However, those that can be utilized in this connection I have reproduced. 



When photographing the rookeries last summer I made a special effort to obtain 

 views from the identical points from which I had made my sketches in 1882 and 1883. 

 Taking into account the different focus of the eye and the photographic lens, I think 

 a comparison between the sketches and the photographs will establish the general 

 accuracy and truthfulness of the former. 



When studying the rookeries in 1882-83, 1 did it with H, W. Elliott's Monograph 

 of the Pribilof group in my hands. In the main I found that his observations in 

 regard to seal life were applicable to the Commander Islands seals, and at the same 

 time that the conditions of the sealing industry were also nearly the same on the two 

 groups, so far as could be judged from descriptions alone. There were minor points 

 in which I found, or thought I found, differences, but in the main I agreed, with one 

 notable exception, however, viz, the estimation of the number of seals on the rookeries. 

 Of course, his estimate related only to the Pribilof group, and as I knew the latter 

 only from his description, I felt bound not to criticise him. But I became sure of 

 this : His methods and results did not apply to the Commander Islands. Elliott's 

 method was to ascertain the area of the rookeries in square feet and then multiply this 

 with an average figure calculated from the number of seals, large and small, counted 

 on a certain piece of ground. But I found insurmountable obstacles. In the first 

 place, the method required not only a very detailed and accurate topographical survey 

 on a large scale of each rookery, but the calculation of the area presented an 

 exceedingly diflaoult problem. No two pieces of ground are alike. In some the beach 

 is smooth and the seals are lying close; others are covered with smaller or larger 

 rocks and stones, where the seals lie scattered as a matter of necessity. In other 

 places, again, there are open spaces or thin spaces. Then, again, the outlying rocks 

 and reefs defy close calculation as to number and area. On Copper Island small herds 

 of seals would be found in corners and coves, on ledges of cliffs, and under overhanging 



